Pellegrini had questioned why the fixture could not have been played on Saturday given their impending trip to Ukraine and with Chelsea's last outing coming against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

Television coverage dictated the weekend's schedule, with Arsenal being selected for the early kick-off on Saturday due to their clash with Barcelona on Tuesday night.

While Hamann does not agree with Pellegrini's selection, the Chilean had openly stated that he would prioritise the Champions League given the club's failure to reach the last-eight of a European competition since 2009.

Darren Plant

A sports journalist based in Cannock, Darren has spent the past three-and-a-half years working for Sports Mole. He counts football, boxing, darts and tennis as his biggest sporting passions, and rightly or wrongly, he considers hitting a 140 in front of Eric Bristow as one of his greatest achievements in life. Darren is a Chelsea supporter, who also follows National League North club Hednesford Town.